Hanging conveyor



March 15, 1960 w. scHAEFFER 2,923,525

HANGING CONVEYOR Filed Aug. l, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet l Fig. l

/NVEN rop By @4M/Zh] March 15, 1960 w. scHAEx-FER HANGING CONVEYOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. l, 1955 United States, Patent C HANGING CONVEYOR Werner Schaeffer, Hoverweg, Holnungsthal, Germany Application August 1, 1955, Serial No. 525,691 Claims priority, application Germany August 6,1954

:3 Claims. (Cl. 198-165) i The object of the present invention is to construct as a hanging conveyor an arcuately-extending tlexible tube conveyor having a pull rope on which a thin-walled ilexible tube of any desired cross-section is suspended for the conveyance of bulk material, hangers being used which engage with the pull rope at intervals and which Patented: Mar.' l5, 1,960

.ice

. steps. Whereas in a flexible tube conveyor 'having'a have trollies running over stationary tracks or bearing f ropes, While a preferably lateral closing strip is provided which is independent of the pull rope and which is not f in a hanging conveyor having a exible tube, the pull rope is embedded in a rubber bead andl closure aps are arranged separately at the side, or at vthe bottom, and are driven in the direction of'an opening and/or of a closure preferably through the agency of closingand opening rolls, in order that the internal resistance ofthe closure means may be overcome at closure and, if desired, at opening.

The closure strip is advantageously arranged laterally, and the ilexible tube is connected to the pull rope by a one-piece rubber bead which has apertures at the top through which the hangers can extend and which has a slot on the bottom for changing the pull rope. As compared with the known apparatus comprising a flexible tube with a closure head arranged above the pull rope, the invention simpliies the loading and unloading device, relieves the closure means of all tensile forces, and has the further advantage that the closure means only has to be opened once for discharging and closed again after charging. It is also advantageous to provide a flexible tube conveyor having a closure head above the pull rope with a bottom closure ap driven by the closing and opening rollers, since no consideration need be given during loading to equality of spacing of the belt edges and therefore one belt edge can remain on the pull rope and the other belt edge can be moved away laterally therefrom so that the loading prole remains free. An advantage during unloading is that the closure means above the pull rope can remain closed, with the result that the unloading station can be of very simple construction, more particularly for unloading at any desired moving station. The unloading means can be formed very simply merely, eg., by a pair of profiled rollers which are guided along an emptying rope which can move lengthwise and which may or may not be driven and which is guided over the correspondingly formed closure strip and which holds the parts of the closure strip together before the unloading station. Special suspension devices and tracks for the unloading means are therefore not required.

The closure strip is actuated by way of the closure and opening rollers in synchronism with the speed of the conveyor, the driving force preferably being derived through an intermediate transmission from the pull rope, from a reversing disc of the conveyor or from a lower delivery-assisting belt.

In addition to the special drive, the construction of a colsure means independent 0f th@ Pull rope requires other closure head above the rope, locking is.` effected-by the pull rope in a vertical plane, that is, inthe direction of application of the load, in a serrated closure means in dependent of the pull rope longitudinal strips must `be provided in the said plane, for examplein the form of through ribs and recesses. Advantageously, the latter. are so constructed as not only to relieve the closure member of bearing functions but also to act as 'guide surfaces for bringing the closure strips together. 'I'he surfaces of such strips or of the closure belts can beso formed and ar-- ranged that the latter surfaces, when acted .upon during discharge by the conveyed material, relieve the serrated closure means ,of load or deilect theow of conveyed material away from the closure means. More particui larly if the toothed closure means are larranged -on one side, steps should be taken to prevent differential stresses occurring inside the parts of the closure strip, for example by using load-relieving slots which assist the parts of the closure member proper to slideA into one another easily and without strain. -v

Known serrated strips-made of rubber or the like can be used as the closure'means.v A device suitable asta serrated closure means which locks on all sides is a closure means which comprises hooks and eyes and which is known as a textile lightning fastener in helical spring form with avismooth eye-spring and a doubly cranked hookl spring. The helical spring fastenerlcan be adapted to the problem underlying the invention by lbeing so formed as to be retainable without fabric stripsand merely by virtue of a particularly advantageous shaping of`its individual parts, for example in triangular form, with a closure head, merely by being introduced into correspondingly shaped pre-stressed grooves in the rubber closure strip, to be held positively and operatively therein. The hook and eye coil spring fastener can be connected to the bearing belt by means of wire hook connections, and the wire hooks themselves can be formed as a closure member with correspondingly shaped hook heads and eye heads.

Advantageously, if tensile forces are considerable, a second pull rope can be arranged outside the flexible strip fastener. The pull rope proper is therefore freed, and the rope inside the rubber bead and the rubber bead itself can be made correspondingly small and can be pro- .-tected against overload during deflection;

The accompanying drawings show, -by way of example, constructional forms of the invention. In the drawings:

Fig. l is a partly sectioned elevation of a hanging conveyor comprising a flexible tube or container;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a conveyor similar to that shown in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 shows a modified closure means; and

Fig. 4 shows hook and eye type coil springs as used in the closure means of Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawings:

Figs. 1 and 2 show a hanging conveyor having a flexible tube 1 with lateral closure flaps 2, 2. which are driven,

by bevel gear 4 and a gearwheel 5, and through a shaft 6, which may or may not be flexible, over a pair of protiled rollers 3, 3 which effect closure behind a delivery table or delivery belt 10. Driving power is derived from a wheel 24 (see Fig. 2) over a closure strip 7 above a pull rope 8 and a pair of friction rollers 9, 9' and is transmitted to the (ilexible) shaft 6. Other known means such, for example, as V-belting can be used as the transmission means. The drive for the closure flaps may be coupled with the drive for the delivery-assisting belt 10. A bracket 25 serves to support the friction rollers 9, 9 and profiled rollers 3, 3.

The closure strip surrounds the pull rope 8 which can be removed through a slot 11 on the inside of the flea the ible: tubezllbelt.A 'in' theft-op of the closure strip there are perforations IZtbroughwhich hangers l3entend.- Above the pull rope 8 and between the hanger clamp there is asleeve 14 which is made ofjrubber orlplastiqpreferably er inszeniertnur'esistantY tov wear, and whehfprzotfecte the nsdeiotheelosurte :sn-Jip- 7V against'- wearso thati the'elosure-'fisting caribe-'made'- ofY aA material. of lowerj V,quality ,mdllessresstantlto wear. In addition, the' provision ofy the-sleeve )L4-renders theinner prole ,ofi4 the closure 1 `f r'ee` froml dreform-ation,V which would maken sub# sequent processing `for shaping of the closure strip` nec's'e's-V sany inltheregionsain wl'lich'the` clamps arextted. The closure stripsj- 2',- 2" are` secured along their Aedgesv I-S; 1'5? towtlejtube lfby: adhesive `or by vulcanisation".

elosure meinberf-is `protected against difrt"f by` a" skirt 516 @bien extends-f' beyond the V: :losui-emeinberandi, which, in its' sinlplelstv4 form, -V is'V formedl'by'tt-he Vedge of-V the til-be.

i belt of substantially hoselike shape, when loaded, a bead provided on the belt andv extending longitudinally thereof, a rope interinorly embedded in the bead and serving as hauling means for the belt, rail means, supporting means secured to the rope and including traveling means to run Y over the rail means, the belt having a longitudinally ex- `tending loading and unloading opening, a closure `strip attached to each edgejp'rtion of the, belt opening, the closure strips being" provided with' crosswise interengaginggmeans to ensure longitudinal locking, and longitudinally i intel-engaging complementary formations tor ensure cross'wise4 loekingand'pairs ofrolls arranged to engage t the closure strips tointerlock and unlock said strips.

2."Ii1 the conveyorV according to claim l, a support below the belt, where,v open for loading, with the closure i strips being unlocked, the support comprising rollers `and In. 15e-closure strips: 2', 23, serrated strips `1l'7,`'17 serve for? longitudinal' i locking, and VVVstrips 18, -18'f serve for` tansverse flockingX and for guiding: the closure member partstogetheraccurately.` i

` The closure means shown in' Figs.- 3- and4V usesgliook and eye' type. coil si'irin'gsY tbeformer being designated i 19, and the latter 19,, and both springs. being:insenfte'dV in a, beltedge 151a2nd15fg. respectively',l and4 supported by'fawire v21: and;V 21', respectivelly'.` The: springsfare eonnectedft'or the belt edges byjmeans tof. wire'hoolcslw As ax'4 proterationagaiirsnctirgf foam. rubber strips 22,' zz'lare on: vtheiuner-edge, and? foamt` rubber strips123,

Va` band running over the rollers, and means to drive the i band withthe `same speed las the bead and belt-hauling 3i` In 'the conveyor according to claim 1, the belt,V with the conveyor in its suspend'edconditon, `having its opening'on one'of its sides, the bead being secured to the belt at its top;

13 are v arranged in: the Yheads ofthe coil, springs. f Wire Menzo-andi-zozfseernig; er) waneer, respectively; the

' engesjtlsrjandns'.

coiiispringsiisrand-:isfover.the-wifestzoi-andfz1f me n n References' Citedin'the'le of this patent STATS PATENTS 

